Author: Mr. Jenson

Now that the dust is settling on state and district plans, we are geared up to start registration at the school level. There’s a more detailed explanation here, but registration as a process means you choose courses in the spring, agree to disclosures and pay fees in Skyward in the late summer & early fall, and then finish anything course-specific at the school in person around when school starts.

When we say registration, at this point we mean the part when you get on Skyward. This will be where you set up contact methods, review district and school documents like Chromebook agreements, and take care of any fees or lunch payments.

This process will open August 5th and run past the start of school. Please visit our registration page if you have any questions and log in via Skyward to get started.

Your schedule is normally released once you’ve paid all fees and agreed to all necessary documents. This year, however, there will be a slight delay while we work through the schedules for those requesting fully or partly online schedules. We’ll post another update once schedules are released.

The JSD School Board voted last night (7/28/20) to delay the start of school for one week in order to give schools more time to prepare for online, hybrid, and in-person options. This means a few important things:

• Registration in Skyward has been bumped back into next week (the first week of August). More to come.
• Requesting an online or hybrid schedule still needs to be done by July 31st.
• Teachers and staff still start back on the same schedule as previously announced.
• School will start for 7th graders on August 24th and for 8th and 9th graders on August 25th.

Letter Sent to Parents 7/29/20

Dear Parents and Employees, 

Last night, the Jordan School District Board of Education voted in their public meeting to approve a reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year. Most aspects of the plan emailed to employees and families last week have not changed. The following changes to the draft plan were approved by the Board:

• Students will start school one week later than originally scheduled. Please see the updated calendar here: Revised 2020-2021 School Calendars 
• The first day of work for employees has not changed. The first teacher contract day is August 10. This means teachers will have five additional days of preparation before students return to school.
• Students can request virtual, online learning each quarter instead of each semester. The first quarter will end on October 16.

School will still be held in person Monday-Thursday and at home (or optional at school) on Friday as originally approved. Students can also choose to learn virtually online instead of attending school in person. 

Families: Parents will soon receive registration information from their child’s school. All parents, including those who enroll their students in virtual, online learning, will need to complete their child’s school registration. The deadline for students to sign up for virtual online classes is Friday, July 31, at midnight. A video explaining the program can be viewed here: Virtual Online Learning Video   If you are interested, please enroll each student in your family separately using this link: Form for Virtual Online Learning for the 2020-21 School Year  

If you have questions before signing up for virtual, online learning, please send an email to movingforward@jordandistrict.org. We will answer your question within 24 hours. 

Employees: The initial deadline to submit a request to work from home is July 31 at midnight. Requests should be submitted through Skyward Employee Access. Instructions can be found here: Work-from-Home Request TUTORIAL

If you have questions before requesting the opportunity to work from home, please send an email to movingforward@jordandistrict.org.  

An updated version of the detailed plan will be sent to all employees and families soon. Thank you for your support as we prepare to reopen schools next month.

An email went out to all parents in the district yesterday. We’re posting it here for students coming to us from out of the district, and just in case anyone missed it.

A couple of things to call out:

First, it’s a draft, and therefore subject to change.

Second, you must respond in the linked survey if you would like any of your courses to be virtual. Please read it carefully, respond by July 31st if you’re looking at virtual or hybrid schedules, and reach out if you have questions. That survey is listed below, or can be found here.

Things are starting to roll!

Dear Parents,

We hope you are enjoying a safe and healthy summer. We know that there are many questions in anticipation of the coming school year. A link to a copy of the tentative plan for reopening schools that will be voted on by the Board of Education in their meeting on July 28 can be found below.

• 2020-21 Plan for Reopening School

Student safety and options for families are among the Board’s highest priorities as we establish a plan for reopening schools. To that end, we are proud to announce the opportunity for all students in Jordan School District to attend school in a virtual, online format from home. This option is available for students in every grade K-12 and will involve daily interaction with teachers.

We invite you to watch the video at the link below which explains what virtual online learning would look like for your student.

• Virtual Online Learning Video

If you would like your child to enroll in virtual learning for the 2020-21 school year, please visit the link below. A request must be completed for each child. Students who sign up for virtual learning will have the choice to return to learning in person for second semester. Registration is due by July 31.

• Registration for Virtual Online Learning for the 2020-21 School Year 

Important Information About the Virtual Learning Options:

• Students who choose to enroll in the K-12 virtual learning options will also stay enrolled in their current boundary or permit school. Connections to your home school can still be maintained through counselors, administration, and mentors.
• Secondary students can choose to take some classes in person and some classes virtually.
• Students enrolled in virtual learning will have daily interaction with teachers.
  • Teachers will have scheduled office hours to answer questions.
  • Teachers will have scheduled instructional times that can also be recorded for later viewing.
• Services through Special Education will be provided either through your local school special education staff or through an online special education teacher, depending on needs and enrollment numbers.
• Dual Language Immersion (DLI) students will have the option to participate in the target language portion of their day online through live broadcasting of classes or in person, even if the English part of their day is taken virtually.
• ALPS classes will be available virtually in all grades.
• K-8 Jordan School District teachers will be providing the virtual instruction for students assigned to their courses. Core courses in the areas of reading, writing, math and science were specially developed by JSD teachers over the summer. These courses follow the Utah Standards and Jordan District expectations for students.
  • Canvas will be used as the Learning Management System for these courses to provide for a consistent tool. 
  • Teachers may use other tools to supplement their learning styles, but the main courses will be outlined in Canvas.
• 9-12 students will continue to have options to enroll in a variety of virtual courses in order to fulfill their graduation requirements. Some courses will be taught by JSD teachers working from home, others will be taught by already existing online program options. 
  • Core classes as well as a variety of elective courses are available.
  • Every elective course may not be available online.
  • Additional mentoring support can be provided to help students with individual needs.

Questions regarding virtual online education from Jordan School District can be sent to ross.menlove@jordandistrict.org (K-6) or ammon.wiemers@jordandistrict.org (7-12).

With school being online for much of last semester, it feels like forever and a day since we’ve seen all of you. We are excited to have you back, whether you’re learning online or here with us in person.

Safety and learning are always our top priorities, and we hope you know we spend the vast majority of our time addressing the ongoing information from the state, district, health department, staff, parents, and students. There are a million variables to contend with, and we appreciate your input and support as we work to find the best balance possible in this boat we’re all in together.

Our registration page has been updated (and will continue to be updated) with the most current information we have, including:

• Important Dates to Remember
• Reading Test-Out Information
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Immunization Requirements
• Walking & Busing Information
• School Pictures Updates
• PTSA Welcome Information
• How to Join the School Community Council

We expect some parts of the process to change as teachers and students express their preferences for how our first semester back should look for them.

We care about all of you, and promise to do our very best to keep safety and learning at the forefront of everything we do.